


Winter Storm

by Ercasse



Category: Loveless
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dubious Consent, M/M, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 03:19:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/629778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ercasse/pseuds/Ercasse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hand trembled as he dragged it through his hair. It was getting worse. He could remember parts of the dreams now. Imaginary hands on him, sometimes featherlight, sometimes cruel as they pinned him by the shoulders. Then there was the fire...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of my original works which features on both FictionPress and Y-Gallery but seeings as both accounts have been abandoned, I wanted a way to consolidate. I hadn't seen Loveless at the time of writing, and so when I saw a few eps I saw the potential for adaptation.
> 
> Note: Alternate Universe. In my world, the cute little cat-boys don't loose their ears and tails when they become adults. Since Soubi is a deamon, he's never had furry appendages to start with...

It was the wind that woke Ritsuka from his exhausted slumber. It battered against the building, and crept in through the gaps in the window, despite the newspaper he'd scrounged and plastered up against the panes. He curled into himself underneath the thin blanket - the tiny room had become icy overnight. He rolled over cautiously, careful not to put any pressure on his bruised back. He was so occupied with moving carefully it took him a minute to register the now-familiar stickiness between his legs. He cursed tiredly. What was wrong with him? Why did his body have to betray him like this?

He lay there a minute, ears twitching slightly, listening to the sounds of the inn below him. It was still early enough in the morning that very few people were moving about downstairs. If he was lucky, he'd be able to clean everything up before anyone missed him.

The next few minutes were a flurry of motion as the boy shamefully wiped himself using the blanket, dressed, then scooped up the blanket. Ritsuka kept to the servant's stairs as he made his way down to the main level, past the kitchens and laundry, (filching some soap), and out into the courtyard. He darted around the corner and over to a large trough, partially obscured by a wall of firewood. A quick glance around told him there was no one around. Satisfied, Ritsuka stripped, and splashed the icy water over himself, shivering as it hit his skin. His mind blanked as he cleaned himself, ignoring his neither regions, and falling into a now-familiar routine. His blanket came next. He tried not to get the whole blanket wet, seeing as it was the only one he had. He shivered again, remembering the last time he'd had to go to bed with his blanket still soaked. If only his body wouldn't…

He clamped down on his thoughts. It wouldn't get him anywhere. He just needed a little more control, that was all. If Daren found out, he'd cop another beating.

 

"Control." He repeated to himself firmly, retrieving his blanket and clothing.

 

Stupid dreams.  
  


***  
  


Back in his room once more, he hung the blanket from one of the exposed beams in the roof, hoping it wouldn't drip too much. The inn had become busier downstairs now, and it wouldn't be too long before someone came searching for him. Hurriedly, he grabbed a cloth and tied it securely over his hair and neck, covering them completely. He peered quickly in the broken mirror, angling his head until he could see the top of his head properly. He looked like one of the servant girls. Of course, the smooth, angular face and large dark eyes didn't help any, he reflected bitterly. The second cloth he wrapped more loosely over his hair and neck. This cloth wasn't part of the servant's uniform.

It was to hide the furry lumps that were now plastered to his skull.

They started to ache.

 

***

 

The kitchens were busy as the servants began preparing breakfast for their guests. Quite a few of the townsfolk came down the mountain, stopping at the inn for breakfast before continuing on to Mekal in order to work, or trade their goods.

Serin itself was a small village, with nothing much in the way of work. The people of Serin were known for their ability as trappers, and as sheep farmers. They traded various animal pelts, as well as wool and meat for those items they needed. The Serin folk were also known for their mistrust of strangers, which was one of the reasons why the Inn itself was built at the base of the mountain, and not in the village proper.

Rheeyt, the innkeeper's wife, scoffed, at the notion. Who in their right mind would build a town up in the mountains, let alone an inn? Why, you'd never get any custom that way. Especially if you made warding-signs behind the traveller's backs! She was pleased, though, that the Serin folk had accepted both her and Daren when they'd decided to move from Mekal and start their business…

Shaking herself from her musings, she surveyed the kitchens with a proprietary air. She pursed her lips. Everyone seemed to be on task.

Then she spotted _him._

"I've a good mind to feed you to the wolves, useless brat!" she bellowed. This was accompanied with a sharp slap to the boy's face. She felt a moment's satisfaction as he winced in pain.

 

"Well? Start fetching the water! And don't you dare start pouring baths until that water is scalding, do you hear?! I will not have my guests taking lukewarm baths!"

 

Rheeyt lapsed into silence as the boy's stomach rumbled. Her eye twitched.

 

"What makes you think you're going to get anything to eat?" She asked, voice deadly calm. "You work to earn your keep, boy, not lay about uselessly in bed like your slut of a mother did." Rheeyt grabbed the boy by the collar, lowering her voice.

 

"You should be grateful we didn't drown you at birth, you little freak." she hissed.

 

"Be late again, and you'll be leaving this inn for good, I promise you."

 

Another sharp slap across the face.

 

"Get out."

 

***

 

Ritsuka's mind drifted as he performed chores he had been doing every day since he could remember. He'd become better at ignoring his body since then - his stomach had become silent.

Overhead, the sun rose weakly.

 

***

 

He sat up suddenly, wide awake, body trembling. It was getting worse. His musky scent was thick in the air, making him feel nauseous. Outside, it was still dark.

Ritsuka became aware of his breath, coming out of his mouth in small white puffs. The air in the attic was frigid. He didn't need to look out the window.

It was snowing.

A hand trembled as he dragged it through his short dark hair. It was getting worse. He could remember parts of the dreams now. They were always the same. Imaginary hands on him, sometimes feather-light, sometimes cruel as they pinned him by the shoulders and held him down. Then, there was the fire. It pooled in his belly, and spread to the rest of his body until he felt he would burn to death. It hurt, the fire. The hands helped somehow - they made the fire subside a little, made the pain bearable. And then they went away.

Ritsuka trembled helplessly, tears running down his cheeks. _What is wrong with me?_

 _Am I going insane?_ He was afraid. Afraid that the fire would consume him. Afraid someone would notice there was something _wrong_ with him.

He went still suddenly, face going white as a new thought occurred to him.

The hands.

They were _male._

_Oh god._

 

***

 

Ritsuka lay unmoving beneath the blanket. His back was in agony. He wondered dully if the welts were bleeding. He closed his eyes tightly, forcing his mind to drift.

Time passed in a blur.

He woke slowly. After a few moments, the cobwebs in his head began to clear. He shifted, wincing as his back protested. It ached, but no longer was it excruciating. Looking around, he saw the familiar walls of his room and was relieved. The feeling was short lived, as memory intruded.  
  


_***_

 

_Ritsuka stares transfixed, both horrified and curious at the scene in front of him. One of the servants - Rilla - is in the bath with one of the guests. They are too busy to notice him. She sits on his lap, moving awkwardly, causing the water to slosh against the sides of the tub. He moves with her, the muscles in his back rippling as his arms wrap around her back._

_But it is not Rilla's feminine figure that has him fascinated. It is the man. The way he moves. Ritsuka suddenly realises he is practically swaying on his feet. He can feel the familiar heat in his belly and panics, dropping the bucket of water and bolting for the door. He runs blindly, not sure where he is going, until he arrives at the door to his room. He pushes the door open and flings himself onto the bedding, tears of frustration and fear flowing down his cheeks._

_He is still lying there as Daren slams the door open, face red with rage. Their eyes lock for a moment and Ritsuka's heart stops. He knows._

_The innkeeper strides over to the bed and hauls the boy up by his shirt._

" _Looks like breeding does show through, after all." he growls disgustedly._

" _Sick little shit."_

_And the pain begins._

_***_   
  


The moon rose, all but obscured in the sky.

Ritsuka staggered blindly across the yard, his skin stinging with cold. His clothes clung to him, making him shiver. The wind snatched at his clothes and the snow blinded him.

People were uneasy at the ferocity of the storm, coming out of nowhere like a malevolent force. They said it was unnatural. Like magic. The villagers did not venture down the mountain. They were afraid of being spirited away. Like his mother had been. They never spoke of her, of course. But they were thinking about it. The way she'd vanished, and reappeared a year later sick with fever - and heavy with child.

A couple of times, Ritsuka had to stoop to pick up the wood which fell from his numbed arms. His back ached tiredly, still not healed properly. His stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten and he absently pushed the thought away.

Cold.

The wolves began to howl.

 

***  
  


"About time, you little shit." Daren muttered angrily as Ritsuka stumbled into the kitchen with the wood. He been waiting for the boy.

 

"We have a guest. Just arrived. Go prepare a bath for him." he declared, thrusting a bucket at the boy.

 

"W-What?" Ritsuka stammered. "But I thought you said to stay away fro-" he fell silent and back peddled as the man advanced on him.

 

"Forget what I said, boy. You'll do as your bloody told!" The innkeeper suddenly smiled maliciously. "He's one of _them._ A daemon. The women folk don't want to be anywhere near him. Afraid of what he'll do." he paused, watching the blood drain from the boy's face, probably remembering the stories he'd heard.

 

He sneered. "You'll do anything he asks you, boy. Or I won't stop where I did last time. I'll make sure you never wake up again."

 

The boy is trembling finely as Daren lets him go.  
  


***

 

Ritsuka looks down resolutely as he presents himself to the inn's only guest. What normal person would be out in this storm, after all? In his head he imagines a ghostly white face, with flaming red eyes and shudders. He empties last bucket into the bath stares quietly at the floor.

_I wonder if they really drink blood?_

Ritsuka hears clothes rustling, and he moves to pick the articles up and fold them neatly on a chair. A soft splash of water alerts him, and the boy returns with soap and a cloth. His hands free, he starts for the door, trying not to hurry.

A hand snakes out and seizes his arm. Ritsuka's heart stops in terror.

 

"What's you hurry, miss?" A deep voice asks, rich with amusement. Ritsuka blushes scarlet, at being called a girl. At the hand on his arm, which seems to burn through his clothing.

 

He gently tries to free himself, the urge to run, overwhelming. He is drawn in closer, until he stands next to the tub.

 

"Look at me." the voice commands. Another hand reaches out and catches his chin, urging his head up. The daemon's hand on his skin is like an electric shock and he gasps, looking at the man unwillingly.

 

Ocean blue eyes regard him from a finely chiselled face. Dirty blond hair spills across his forehead, over delicately pointed ears and down his back. His skin is a pale cream. Ritsuka stares at him. Daemons shouldn't look like that. They should be hideous, with fangs and not…not…

_This is not happening._

Then the daemon smirks, a simple twitch of his lips.

 

"Ah." the sound is full of comprehension. Of realisation. Fingers reach up and trace a shell-shaped human ear. Ritsuka shivers as those eyes seem to pierce through him.

 

"What is your name, little one?" he murmurs.

 

Ritsuka blinks, to shake himself out of his daze. _Is he putting a spell on me?_

"R-Ritsuka" he stutters, unnerved.

 

Lips twitch again.

 

"And whatever are you doing _here,_ Ritsuka?" The blond daemon leans forward, tugging the boy's chin down until only inches separate their faces.

 

"Sir?" his voice is barely audible, full of confusion. "I-I'm..I mean, I -" he trails off as the daemon's smile widens. The look suddenly reminds him of a wolf. The way a wolf looks at its prey before it strikes.

 

"You have no idea what I am talking about, do you little one?" the voice is quiet, not expecting an answer. The older man deliberately moves back, releasing him completely.

 

Outside, the storm rages.

 

***

 

The candle forms eerie shadows on the wall as Ritsuka leads the guest to his room. But the shadows are the furthest thing from the boy's mind as he walks along.

He wonders if it will hurt, when the man kills him. Maybe the daemon will hypnotise him and he won't feel it…

His hand shakes as he opens the door. He moves slowly over to the small table and sets the candle down. He hears the sound of the door being closed. A key turning. He feels nauseous.

In the next instant Ritsuka is pinned effortlessly to the wall, one hand capturing his arms above his head. The other hand skims over his chest nearly making his heart stop in terror. It moves up, to curl around his neck. The blond's fingers press at his chin again, forcing his head up, his throat exposed. Ocean blue eyes capture his dark ones.

 

"Shh, little one. Its alright." the male murmurs. The hand leaves his chin and Ritsuka flinches as it reappears at his hip this time. The fingerprints burn into his skin.

 

He _feels_ the older man chuckle.

 

"So flighty, little one….but never mind, you won't be shying away from me much longer."

 

The blue eyes are almost glowing now and it takes a minute for Ritsuka to realise the strangled sound comes from his own throat.

 

The blond frowns slightly. "You really don't have any idea, do you? I can see it in your face." Then he smiles predatorily, his face moving closer.

 

"Let me show you…" he whispers

 

The daemon closes the distance between them and captures Ritsuka's mouth in a demanding kiss. The boy begins to struggle weakly, trying to free himself, but he is no match for this creature. Ritsuka opens his mouth to yell for help - only to realise his mistake as the blond forces his tongue into the boy's mouth. When he finally pulls away, Ritsuka is gasping for air and trembling slightly.

 

"Please, Sir.." He begs. "Please let me go…" His voice cracks at the end.

 

A hand reaches up to stroke his cheek, and he tenses, expecting a blow.

 

"I'm afraid its already begun, pet. Don't you feel it?" the blond is watchful, waiting for a reaction.

 

Ritsuka closes his eyes, trying to block out the words. He wants to believe he doesn't know what the daemon's talking about…and he really doesn't….only….a part of him _does_ know. The part he has been trying to ignore for so long. He is so preoccupied with these thoughts, he doesn't register the hands at his neck, his hair…

 

"No!" he cries, as the cloths are unravelled and fall to the floor. Ears prick up automatically after being pinned down all day, then flatten again in alarm. Ritsuka tries to dodge the hands as they reach out, certain he is going to be beaten. One hand pins him by the shoulder as the other hand feathers through his hair. It touches one furred ear, traces it from base to tip and begins to rub gently. His ears twitch in response.

 

"How -?" the boy whispers brokenly. Defeated.

 

The daemon turns his head to murmur into one of Ritsuka's human ears, even as his hands caress his…non-human ones.

 

"I knew what you were the minute I touched you, kitling." He feels the words as they ghost past his ear. He knows, somehow, that the daemon is telling the truth.

 

"You cannot hide your nature from me. Just as I cannot hide mine from you.."

 

Ritsuka is distracted by the man's words, by his depth-less eyes, the hand playing with his ears.

 

His hand is lightning fast as it moves from his shoulder, sliding down into his pants, skimming his hand over the boy's naked flank and back and -

 

Ritsuka's struggles began forcefully anew as the blonde's hand clutches possessively near the base of his tail, and strokes the furred appendage under his hand softly.

 

His mouth is taken again roughly, even as hands pull at his pants, exposing him to the thighs. He whimpers involuntarily as the blonde's hands move over the length of his tail, firmly wrapped around his leg. His tail begins to loosen its grip on his thigh and uncurls slowly in response to the petting. He needs to escape, he realises. Now, while he is still able to….before…before -

 

He cries out softly as the older man's hand reaches between his legs and grips his sex. His body responds immediately to the attention, and suddenly, against all reason, he is struggling to press himself closer to the man, craving the attention, the feeling of the man's hand sliding against his flesh. Perhaps the daemon realises the moment of his surrender, because one arm suddenly crushes Ritsuka to him. The boy becomes aware of the man's heart beat, like thunder to his sensitive ears. The tautness of the man's stomach - and the man's hardness pressing between them, digging firmly into his own belly. The blonde's hand moves faster, and Ritsuka's hips begin to rock in time with the man's strokes. He tries to warn the other man he's going to come, but his mouth is claimed instead and his cries are swallowed by the blonde's mouth on his. His arms wrap instinctively around the older man's neck, as he feels his legs weaken beneath him. He feels the daemon chuckle as he stops the boy from collapsing to the ground. Ritsuka suddenly finds himself lifted into the man's arms, but he can no longer keep his eyes open.

 

***

 

At first, Ritsuka thinks he's dreaming again. The hands are back - and so is the fire that sings in his blood. Only the hands feel too real, too solid as they run along his side, over his chest and down his belly. He starts awake, and finds himself lying on his side, completely naked on the man's bed. He feels the man's warmth at his back, his arms draped almost possessively around Ritsuka's lithe frame. His first instinct is to curl up - to protect himself from the man's scrutiny. Where are his clothes? The arms move then, one around his shoulders, the other moving and draping across his lower belly. He lies quietly, thwarted.

 

"Good kit." The daemon murmurs, amused.

 

Ritsuka bristles at that, and shifts against the man, not sure what he is trying to accomplish, knowing that fighting the other man is pointless.

 

He freezes as he hears the blond inhale sharply behind him.

 

"Careful, now pet, you don't want me to loose control." the voice is dark with promise.

 

Then Ritsuka realises. The man's sex is pressed against the small of his back. Instinctively, his body reacts. He rolls over and presses himself against the daemon, face burying itself in the man's neck. The blonde's scent suddenly intrudes into the boy's nostrils. He inhales and is hit by an overwhelming, heady musk. Blood sings in his veins and he begins to move mindlessly, pressing his hips into the man's, rubbing his face along the hollow of his neck and jaw line. A hand reaches up and strokes the boy's face in response. Ritsuka nuzzles into it, unconsciously. He opens his eyes to look at the daemon, face full of confusion.

 

"What is wrong with me?" he whimpers. "What is happening?"

 

The hand cups his face gently, and blue eyes meet his own.

 

"Shh kitling, it's alright. Your body is waking up.." he murmurs, quietly.

 

"But it's wrong…I shouldn't want - " Ritsuka sobs, the desire playing havoc with his emotions.

 

"Shhh." the blonde's lips brush his own softly. Ritsuka sighs in response, and follows when they pull away, seeking the warm mouth for himself. His is purring deep in the back of his throat, and his tail curls itself around the older man's thigh happily.

 

The blond allows the kiss, teasing the boy's mouth open so he can slide his tongue into the boy's mouth. The cat-boy moans in response.

 

"Let me make the fire go away, little one…" he whispers.  
  


***

 

It hurts at first, when the older man enters him. But the pain fades quickly, and soon Ritsuka is writhing beneath the blond in passion. His hips soon pick up the rhythm and they are moving in concert, broken only when the man's sex buries itself deep inside his body and spills his seed into the boy. The boy cries out as he spills his own seed between their sweat soaked bodies. He clings to the other man, with his hands, his legs wrapped tightly around the man's waist. For a few minutes all Ritsuka can hear is their ragged breathing, and their hearts pounding in their chests. And then the fire pools in his belly, and it starts all over again.  
  


***

 

Ritsuka blinks, stirring awake. His ears twitch for a moment, listening. No-one is awake downstairs. He sighs and curls deeper into the blond's arms, rubbing his cheek against the man's chest. The fire is gone now, and his body basks in its wake, sated and content.

 

"Go to sleep, kitling." a low voice murmurs into a soft, furry ear. His ear twitches sharply as a lick follows this pronouncement.

 

"But its nearly dawn" he mumbles, half heartedly. "I have…chores." he trails off as the arms tighten.

 

"Not anymore. We're leaving today." the daemon's words take a moment to sink in.

 

"Leaving!?" Ritsuka exclaims, completely awake now, his stomach beginning to form knots.

 

Blue eyes open to regard him.

 

"Of course." the daemons frowns. "You're mine now, little one. You do not belong with the humans any more." A hand reaches down and strokes his tale from base to tip.

 

"You're mine" he repeats.

 

All the tension begins to leave his body at the blond's ministrations. Soon he is drifting off again. Fuzzily, he asks the question on his mind.

 

"What is your name?"

 

Soft laughter rings in his ears. He opens his eyes reproachfully at the older man. And he waits.

 

"Soubi."

 

Ritsuka repeats the name, testing it on his tongue. A second later he tilts his head up to look at his new mate. Blue eyes regard him steadily, waiting.

 

"Will you do _that_ to me again?"

 

The eyes flash.

 

"I promise you, kitling."

 


End file.
